Reinforced contact clip



June 17, 1947. w SAMZEUUS 2,422,589

REINFORCED CONTACT CLIP Filed July 28, 1943 INVENTOR wlTNessss; @im afkalme/m5.

f BY

` 'Zi ATTORNE Patented June 17, 1947 REINFORCED CONTACT CLIP John W.Samzelius, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse ElectricCorporation, East Pittsburg'h, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication July 28, 1943, Serial No. 496,412

6 Claims. l (Cl. 20G-'134) This invention relates, generally, toelectrical apparatus and, more particularly, to reinforcing means forelectric contact structures.

It has been found desirable to provide spring reinforcement for electriccontact members which are subjected to heating and to bending stresses,especially for contacts of the jaw or clip type, for example, the clipsused to receive the terminals of a fuse.

One object of this invention is to provide re1- atively simple contactreinforcing means which is readily adjustable to vary the contactpressure.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel contact reinforcingmeans which is readily adjustable to vary the contact pressure withoutdisturbing the contact to which it is applied.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel reinforcing meansfor contact clips which is readily adjustable without disturbing thestructure engaged by the clips.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel reinforcing meansfor contact clips which is readily adjustable to vary the pressure onthe clips over a wide range.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent uponconsidering the following detailed description of preferred embodimentsthereof, when taken in connection with the attached drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a fuse and fuse mounting, utilizingthe reinforcing means of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the assembly shown in Fig. 1, with thesupporting base shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a. slightly modified formof reinforcing means; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the contact clip and reinforcing meansshown in Figs. land 2, with the fuse removed.

The contact reinforcing means constituting this invention is shown onthe drawing as applied to contact clips for receiving a cartridge typeof fuse. Referring to Fig. 1, the fuse mounting is secured on a base 2of insulating material, such, for example, as a molded insulatingmaterial. Contact clips 4 are located on base 2 at points spaced apart adistance corresponding 2 to the space between the terminals of the'fusewhich is to be mounted therein. Each contact clip 4 is substantiallyU-shaped in section, including an integral bight portion 5 seated onbase 2 and spaced legs 8 extending upwardly from the base and shaped toconform to the contour of the fuse terminals. The fuse II illustrated,is circular in section, and provided with terminal ferrules `9 at eachend adapted to be mounted in contact clips y4, so that the outer ends ofthe clips are given a. circular contour to conform to the conutour offuse terminals 9. The bight portion 6 of each fuse clip 4 is extendedlongitudinally outwardly from fuse II, and is provided with shortupwardly extending side flanges I0, for a purpose to be described. Eachfuse clip 4 is secured to base 2 by a bolt I2 extending through thebight portion of the clip and through the base.

Contact clip reinforcing members I5 are provided for each clip and thesereinforcing members are also generally U-shaped in form, comprising abight portion I4 and substantially straight side legs I5 spaced apart adistance substantially equal to the distance between the outer sides ofthe contact clips at the points where they engage .the fuse terminals.Reinforcing members I5 may be of any desired resilient material, such,for example, as spring steel. Each leg I6 of reinforcing members I5 isprovided with a lateral extension I8, and each such extension isprovided with an inwardly struck portion 20 providing projections oflimited area on the inner surfaces of extensions I8. As shown in Figs.1, 2, and 4, reinforcing members I5 are adapted to be supported on eachcontact clip, with the bight portion I4 of each reinforcing memberseated on flanges I U of each clip. A bolt 22 is provided to extendthrough apertures provided in bight portion I4 of each reinforcingmember I5 and through extended bight portion 6 of each clip and throughthe base, for securing the reinforcing members in operative position. Itwill be noted that when the reinforcing members I5 are mounted inoperative positions. the extensions I8 thereof extend along side legs 8of the Contact clips in the region thereof engaged by fuse terminals 9,and that projections 20 are positioned substantially centrally of thearea of engagement of the contact clips and fuse terminals.

In assembling the parts described above, bolt 22 need not be tighteneduntil after a fuse I I has been mounted in contact clip 4. Thereafterbolt 22 may be tightened, and this will cause the bight portion I4 ofreinforcing clips I5 to bend along a line parallel with the longitudinalaxis Of fuse I I in a manner to cause the upper ends of legs I6 toapproach each other, and exert pressure on the legs 8 of each contactclip 4. Bolts 22 may be adjusted to provide any desired pressure on thecontact clips, and since the reinforcing members I are of resilientmaterial, the pressure which they exert will not be affected by changesin temperature due to heating of the fuse terminals, because they willyield upon expansion thereof due to their resilient properties.

The structure shown in Fig. 3 is substantially the same as that shown inFigs. l, 2 and 4, and like reference numerals are, therefore, used todesignate the like parts. The structure of Fig. 3 differs from thatpreviously described in that bight portion 6 of each contact clip is notprovided with a laterally extending base portion and flanges I0.Instead, reinforcing members I5 are seated directly on base 2, and areprovided with a bight portion 24 which is upwardly curved in section.This structure operates to apply pressure to the contact clips insubstantially the same manner as in the previously describedconstruction, in that taking up bolt 22 will tend to flatten bightportion 24 and cause the outer ends of legs I6 of the reinforcing memberto approach each other and exert pressure on the contact clips.

It will be observed that the adjusting bolts 22 for the reinforcingmembers for varying the pressure applied to the contact clips, arepositioned beyond each end of fuse I I so as to be readily accessiblewithout removing the fuse from contact clips 4. The amount of springadjustment possible is limited only by the permissible stress of thematerial comprising reinforcing member I5, because, in the embodiment ofthe invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the supporting flanges I0 maybe made any desired height, and in the structure of Fig. 3, bightportion 24 may be given any desired curvature, so that the bightportions of the reinforcing members may be bent the necessary amount bybolt 22 to obtain any desired pressure on the contact clips.Furthermore, by making reinforcing members I5 of extra heavy springmaterial, the fuse terminals may, in effect, be clamped in the contactclips, but sufficient flexibility will always be provided fortemperature expansion, because of the resilient character of thereinforcing members. It will be noted that projections 20 on extensionsI8 of each reinforcing member are positioned substantially centrally ofthe contact area between the contact clips and fuse terminals, so thateven though the legs of the reinforcing members bend or are movedangularly relative to the contact clips when pressure is appliedthereto, pressure will always be applied substantially centrally of thelegs of the contact clips, and substantially perpendicular to thecontact surface point.

Having described preferred embodiments of the invention in accordancewith the patent statutes, it should be understood that the invention isnot to be limited to the particular structures shown herein, because itwill be obvious to persons skilled in the art that many changes andmodifications may be made in these particular structures withthisinvention. Thus, for example, the novel reinforcing means of thisinvention is not limited to the application thereof for contact clipsadapted to receive terminals of round cross-section or even to contactclips adapted to receive fuse terminals. Obviously, the invention isequally applicable to fuses having knife blade type of terminals, and tocontacts for knife switches or the like. Therefore, it is desired thatthe invention be interpreted as broadly as possible, and that it belimited only as required by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the type described, a. base, a contact clip securedon said base, reinforcing means for said clip comprising a substantiallyU-shaped reinforcing member of resilient material having leg portionsadapted to' engage the sides of said clip, and adjusting meansengageable with the bight portion of said member independently of thesecuring means of said clip for vvarying the distance between at leastouter portions of said leg portions.

2. In apparatus of the type described, a contact clip, reinforcing meansfor said clip 'comprising a substantially U-shaped reinforcingmember ofresilient material having leg portions adapted to engage the sides ofsaid clip, means for transversely bending an intermediate portion of thebight portion of said member for varying the distance between at leastouter portions of said leg portions, and said leg portions havingportions limited in area projecting therefrom toward intermediateportions of the sides of said clip for limiting the area of engagementof said reinforcing member and clip,

3. In apparatus of the type described, a support, a contact clip mountedon said support and adapted to receive electrical conducting meansextending from one side thereof, reinforcing means for said clipcomprising resilient reinforcing members mounted on said support at theopposite side of said clip and extendinginto engagement with the sidesof said clip, respectively, in the region of said conducting means whenthe latter is received in said clip.

4. In apparatus of the type described, a contact clip adapted to receiveelectrical conducting means extending from one side thereof, reinforcingmeans for said clip comprising resilient reinforcing members supportedat the opposite side of said clip and extending into engagement with thesides of said clip, respectively, in the region of said conducting meanswhen the latter is received in said clip, and adjusting means engagingmeans integral with said members at said opposite side of said clip forvarying the force exerted on the sides of said clip, whereby saidadjusting means is accessible even when said conducting means isreceived in said clip,

5. In apparatus of the type described, a support, a contact clip mountedon said support and adapted to receive electrical conducting meansextending from one side thereof, reinforcing means for said clipcomprising a substantially U-shaped resilient reinforcing member havingthe bight portion thereof mounted on said support at the opposite sideof said clip and the leg portions of said member having laterallyextending portions extending into engagement with the sides of saidclip, respectively, in the region of said conducting means when thelatter is received in said clip.

6. In apparatus of the type described, a contact clip, reinforcing meansfor said clip comprising a substantially U-shaped reinforcing memoutdeparting from the broad spirit and scope of '(5 ber of resilientmaterial having leg portions 8 adapted to engage the sides of said clip,spaced UNITED STATES PATENTS projecting means supporting the big-htportion of Number Name Date said member, and adjusting means engageable2292 320 Hammerly Aug 4 1942 with the 'bight portion of said memberinter- 1169431 Schaefer Jan'zs' 1916 mediate said spacedv supportingmeans for varys 444019 Richards Jar; 6 1891 ing the distance between atleast outer portions 790883 Buchanan":Mayao 1905 "f said leg pomms'1,876,536 Alsaker et a1. sept. 1a, 1932 1,878,779 Jung et al Sept. 20,1932 JOHN W- SAMZELIUS- lo 1,996,888 smythe et a1. Apr. 9, 19351,983,281 Fries et al. Dec. 4, 1934 REFERENCES CITED 2,186,476 DebbyJan. 9, 1940 The following references are of recordin the 1,785,194Hammerly Dec. 16, 1930 lerof this patent: 742,499 Sachs Oct. 27, 19031,902,804 La Mar Mar. 21. 1933

